STORIES FOR STANDARD VI. LESSON 1. STORIES OF ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. I. EARLY MARITIME DISCOVERIES. Since the return, in 1876, of the two ships, the Alert and the Discovery, from the North Polar regions, with their marvellous stories of adventure, and their valuable acquisitions to scientific knowledge, considerable attention has been turned towards Arctic explorations, and an unusual interest awakened in the subject. The object of these six lessons is to create, in the older boys and girls, an interest in and sympathy with those brave spirits to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of the icy regions of the 'far north.' Of course, on a subject like this, very few people can speak from experience; it does not fall to the lot of many to see the turbulent sea frozen into huge mountains of ice, and yet such scenes only mark the beginnings of travels we shall note in these lessons. Our information has been gathered partly from a large number of books, and partly from conversations with a bona-fide traveller. In short lessons like these it will not be possible to do more than give a mere outline, but it will help us to a better understanding of the subject if we divide it thus: 1. The earliest attempts at maritime discovery in the direction of the Arctic seas before the year 1845. 2. The various British expeditions since the year 1845. This portion will deal principally with the ill-fated attempt of Sir John Franklin to discover the North-West Passage, together with the various searches made for that noble seaman, carried on under Government auspices and by private enterprise. 3. A brief review of explorations carried on by foreign countries during the same period, i.e. during the last thirty years. 4. A more detailed account of the late expedition under Captain (now Sir George) Nares and Captain Stephenson. It may be as well to say at the outset, that although this last expedition was sent out chiefly to reach what we call the North Pole, yet very few expeditions have had that particular point as their |